Wine continues to play an important role in the UK convenience channel, with almost two-thirds of retailers rating the category as either extremely or very important to their businesses, new research by Asian Trader and Zebra Stripes has found.
The research, based on responses from 120 UK convenience retail decision-makers, explores how wine is performing in independent convenience stores, what shoppers are buying, the price points and formats that are working, and where retailers see opportunities for future growth.
The findings form part of a new Wine in Convenience report, which brings together the full survey results and retailer insights.
Wine remains a core category
The survey found that 65.5 per cent of retailers consider wine extremely or very important to their stores, while a further 29.4 per cent describe it as moderately important.
That means almost 95 per cent of respondents see wine as at least moderately important to their businesses, highlighting the category's broad relevance across convenience retail.
Photo: Asian Trader
The picture is also one of stability, rather than decline. Almost half of retailers say their wine sales are running at about the same level as last year, while almost one in four report higher sales.
But beneath that headline resilience, the research reveals some clear differences in what is driving wine sales – from the types and formats performing best to the price points proving most successful with shoppers.
Traditional choices continue to dominate
The survey points to a strong role for traditional wine formats and styles, with white and red wine together accounting for more than three-quarters of responses when retailers were asked which type sells best.
The 75cl bottle is even more dominant, identified by 90 per cent of retailers as the most popular format.
The research also identifies a clear mainstream price territory, while suggesting there remains some room for premium wines within the convenience channel.
Key findings include:
- 65.5% say wine is extremely or very important to their business
- 72.4% say wine sales are stable or improving year on year
- 75.5% say white or red is their best-selling wine type
- 90% say the 75cl bottle is the most popular format
- 81% identify £6–£10 as the strongest-selling price range
- 54.5% say promotions are the biggest driver of purchase
Where are the opportunities?
The Wine in Convenience Report goes beyond the headline findings to examine the category in detail.
The report includes:
- How important wine is to convenience retailers
- Year-on-year wine sales performance
- The wine types and formats selling best
- The strongest price points
- What drives wine purchasing decisions
- The biggest challenges facing the category
- Retailers' plans for range expansion
- The best-performing brands across key wine segments
- Opportunities for suppliers and retailers